Another one of my IchiRuki oneshots, except in this one both of them are in the 8th grade.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

We Met In The Rain

He slowly blinked open his eyes only to feel the raindrops were still pouring from the sky. He could faintly see a smaller figure standing over him.

"Hey, are you okay? You're...Ichigo, right?" Said the mystery figure with a black umbrella held over the two of them.

He sat up, gripping his forehead, but he soon fell back to the ground as he felt the pain returning to his stomach.

"And who are you?" He grumbled as he winced.

"I'm in your class." She mumbled, quickly changing the subject. "I saw those guys pound you in pretty bad." She said, punching her fist into her cupped left hand as she said the word 'pound'.

"I see..."

"Too bad you couldn't take 'em." She said, rather straight up, he thought.

He also thought it was rather rude and blood boiling, actually.

"Hey! There was like five of them, okay!? And if you're so tough, how come you didn't just come to the rescue, huh!?"

"Calm down, jeez." She huffed, turning away for just a moment. "Well, I could've handled them for you, but for one I don't even know you, so why would I do that? And for two, it would really hurt a guy's image if a girl were to have to rescue them, don't you think?"

"Ehhh..." He scoffed, trying to shrug that last statement from her off.

"Well c'mon, now, get up." She said, offering her hand to her beaten bloody peer.

"I don't need your help." He muttered as he attempted to stand back to his feet, which utterly failed.

"Yes, you do. And I advise that you take it before I leave you here in the rain." She added, again, pretty straight up.

"Go ahead, I already told you, I don't need your help." He said turning his head away stubbornly.

She sighed, prepared to smack him upside the head with her umbrella, but she knew well enough that that wasn't going to help the situation any. She sure felt like doing it anyway, though.

"Fine." She retorted, taking off in the other direction with no signs of turning back.

He just laid there and watched her leave. How could he have not seen her before? She was in his class for God's sake. It's not like she was unnoticable. She had to be under five feet tall, her eyes were definitely out of the ordinary violet, and she was just as stubborn as he was.

He once again gave getting up on his own a try, but it still wasn't working. It's not like those boys had been playing tea party with him, after all. He had been hit several times in the stomach, his face was starting to swell, not to mention it was covered in scrapes and bruises, his knuckles were worn and bleeding, and he assumed one of his ribs had been snapped.

He was trying to ignore it as well as he could, which also wasn't working.

She turned her head around as she continued to walk down the street, but soon stopped in her tracks. He was still struggling to stand to his feet. She shook her head and sighed as she changed direction, heading back to the stubborn strawberry teen. She really didn't have the heart to just leave him there, in the pouring rain no less.

"Ichigo." She called, almost in a whisper.

He lifted his head and a small smile escaped his lips before he quickly covered it up with a headstrong scowl.

"I told you, I'm fine. Just go home."

"No. You're coming with me and you're going to like it." She said, grabbing fast to his arm and yanking him to his feet.

"Hey!!" He protested, clumsily bumping into her as he attempted to stay standing.

He stared into her eyes, for just a moment. And she stared back, making it awkward.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" She said, attempting to crack through the silent, awkward moment.

He simply continued to scowl in the other direction in fear he might catch himself staring at her again.

She ignored it and placed her arm around his back to help support him in walking back home.

"There. That's better than laying over there in the pouring rain, isn't it?" She said with a sigh as she looked up at the sky.

"Yeah, whatever, I guess." He mumbled, still looking away from her.

"Hey, look." She said, ignoring his reply as she pointed at the sky, which seemed to be clearing up, yet a few rain drops were still escaping the clouds.

There was a gleaming rainbow, arching over the horizon.

"Wow...that one's really bright." She said with a smile.

"Yeah." He answered, staring at the distance. He couldn't help but think it was beautiful, if he was one to use such words.

"So..." He muttered as they continued to walk down the street. Rukia had put away her umbrella since the weather was taking a turn for the better.

"You never told me your name." He continued.

"Oh...my name's Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." She replied, staring at her worn sneakers as they continued walking.

"Ah," was all he said. "I've never heard of you before. How long have you been in my class?"

"For about six years." She answered numbly.

"R-really..." Things were starting to get awkward again. "Well..." He began again, and stopped walking, more like limping, down the road. "This is my house."

She turned her head to see lights lit in every room in the house, it seemed nice.

"Okay." She said, letting go of him.

He limped down his walkway until he reached the front door, when he turned around and smiled at her, waving his right hand.

"It was nice to meet you, Rukia Kuchiki."

"Yeah." She replied, smiling back.

And as he walked inside, he knew was going to want to see that girl again.

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